Is Hookup Culture A Bad Thing?

We have talked before about the much-overhyped sex hookup culture that we’re all hearing so much about and the reasons for a sex hookup culture vary depending on who you’re talking to. For some people, it’s the lack of time these days and for others, it just seems like a natural progression forward in dating. For some people (generally from other generations), the sex hookup culture that permeates today’s society is a direct reflection of how the moral fiber of any country is fraying. If you search sex hookup culture, you’ll see many explanations for why it exists and the how, but you’ll notice that people have already made their decisions about whether it’s good or bad.

For those who think that the sex hookup culture is a bad thing, they’ll talk about how people feel ashamed or how they can’t connect like they used to and we don’t necessarily think that’s the case. Shame is a societal construction, we shame the people who don’t fit in with the preconceived idea of normal within a society. The idea that we can’t connect the way that we used to is too simplistic as well. After all, we are more connected than ever and while our methods of communication have changed, we are generally able to still make those close connections and maintain them.

So what’s the problem with the sex hookup culture then?

Probably the sex part.

Basically, people are getting to have sex at a rate that previous generations could only dream of. It’s different, so it’s wrong and the sex hookup culture is not something that people should aspire to. This is what we’re told, but that falls back on the old versions of monogamy that we’re taught to aspire to. We guess that in the end, it really depends on what you find important. The moral pillars that people cling too aren’t surviving as well as we might like in a constantly changing world. Large institutions like marriage and monogamy tend to appear to do better when the world is more static. Note that we said “appear” since adultery and non-monogamy is rife throughout all of human history.

As to what side of the debate is right when it comes to “sex hookup culture”, we’d argue that neither of them are. After all, like many things (adultery, marriage, monogamy, do you see where we’re going here?) it’s hard to break down a complex phenomenon into simplistic binary sides. There are people whom sex hookup culture is good for and people whom sex hookup culture is bad for. It’s all a matter of perspective and the type of person who you are.

Maybe you’re a shy, introvert and the sex hookup culture that permeates modern society isn’t working in your favour. It’s okay, you’re not alone. There are plenty of different avenues and the way that people focus in on the sex hookup culture as if that’s the way that an entire generation treats sex is misleading at best.

Is sex hookup culture wrong then?

Well, like most of the harder questions in life, that’s really up for you to decide for yourself.

If you think that participating in hookups will make you happy then by all means, go for it. If you think that a hookup lifestyle would make you unhappy, then don’t.